Look At Our Kids' Homeschool Checklists || 10th_9th_7th_5th_3rd_1st Grades

I'm letting you take a peek at our kids' individual homeschool checklists. This is the part of the day when they work independently. See what each child is doing at different levels.
I hope this will give you some ideas to help you see what another homeschool family accomplishes in an average day.
Our Large Family Homeschool Curriculum
ourlifehomeschooling.com/2022...
Help Your Kids Develop a Habit of Reading the Bible
ourlifehomeschooling.com/2023...
How to Make a Workable Homeschool Checklist
ourlifehomeschooling.com/2022...
NEED HELP TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO READ?
ourlifehomeschooling.com/2024...
WANT TO SIMPLIFY YOUR MORNING TIME?
ourlifehomeschooling.com/simp...
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[@sohappytogether88]

I fell in love with this channel! So real, cozy, helpful❤❤ ☺️

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Oh wow, I'm so glad!! Thanks for taking the time to tell me that. :)

[@Credo8]

Another excellent, helpful video. I am excited to learn about Seterra, I’d never heard of it! You are so lucky to have a co-op for high schoolers 😊 Thank you for sharing the checklists!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You are so welcome! Glad it was helpful! Yes, our high school co-op has been a good fit for us in this season with our wide range of ages. Here's the link for Seterra if you need it. www.seterra.com/

[@jennifer61122]

Loved this, thank you for sharing! Would you be able to (sometime in the future) go into to how you assign high school credits and how all that works? My oldest daughter is just starting middle school, so I have time to figure it out but the whole high school thing confuses and scares me lol 🙈

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're welcome! Great question/topic! An interesting coincidence... I hosted a Moms high school panel night at our house last night where we talked all about homeschooling high school/credits/transcripts, etc. I'll definitely keep this in mind for a future video! Thanks for the idea! I also touch on this in the post below on the blog. How to Prepare for Homeschooling HIgh School ourlifehomeschooling.com/2023/05/03/how-to-prepare-for-homeschooling-high-school/

[@BenjesBride]

Thank you for sharing this. It gave me a lot of peace.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

That makes my day! So glad to hear that. You're welcome. :)

[@jerilyn-ourhomeschooltable]

I love checklists! ❤ So helpful to keep kids on track. 😊

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

It really is!

[@homesteadschooled4587]

Thank you for sharing! I love a good checklist. :)

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're welcome. Me too!! As long as I can keep a level head (not compare), t's fun to look at what others are doing and get ideas!

[@ezekielfenjavandehei3189]

Thank you very much for this! I've been really struggling with how to set expectations for my kids and what to require of them. I would be interested to hear if and what the consequences are for not finishing their work.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Glad it was helpful! You're welcome! That's a good question. In the past I have done treats. When they finished before lunch they got a reward. We haven't done this recently, but that worked well for a while. I'm not sure the best answer for this. When my kids were all little, this was harder than it is in the stage I'm in now with more older kids. Having older kids sets the precedent for the younger ones and I don't have as much push back as I might have had when they were all in the elementary years. (They see their older siblings finishing their work so they don't think that not getting it done is an option.) I would say for the most part they are motivated to get it done. Since the work is at their level and it doesn't take them too much time, they're intrinsically motivated. Not to say that I don't ever have push back, but in general, they like learning and the work isn't too hard for them so it gives them something to do. I hope that helps!

[@alexamerovan]

I started instituting time limits on my checklists like "Accomplish 3 lessons on your checklist before lunch" and "Finish your checklist by 3 p.m. or ask for an extension from Mama" in order for them to get free time. One child really likes listening to audio books on Libby and is very motivated to get his work done so he has free time to do that. We also tell our kids they have to earn their privileges (TV/ video games), which sometimes motivates the lethargic ones. A few weeks of not earning privileges helped them see that being productive members of the family is to their benefit. Not a perfect system, but it keeps us moving along at our house

[@katieb9312]

Thank you so much! You’ve been an inspiration to me as far as the independent Bible reading, independent work, and everything else! I really appreciate your love for the Lord that flows out of your videos. God bless you and your family

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're welcome!Thanks for your kind words! It's encouraging to hear comments like this and motivates me to continue encouraging other moms. Blessings!

[@carissabergman7696]

I saw a comment on portfolios and also wanted to see more information about portfolios :)

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great! I'll definitely try to do a video on portfolios!

[@alexamerovan]

Hello! Not sure if it matters to you, but your last name is on a few of those checklists. Great video as always! We recently began using checklists after I read one of your blog posts, and I LOVE it

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you so much! So glad to hear that checklists are working so well for you. Whoops! Didn't mean to do that. Oh well, not gonna stress over it.

[@honeyb384]

Awesome! So encouraging! 😅I think I expect to do way too much and then end up not getting to some subjects all week so this super helps me to adjust my own schedule! I add little picture icons to each assignment for my little ones (1st gr., PK, & 2.5yr old)

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great! glad to hear this helped you! What a cute idea with the picture icons!

[@mistyhuber4831]

This was so helpful. I’ve been homeschooling for many years, but had become bogged down teaching my younger ones, who are all now at high school level. This helped me to refocus. Thanks!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

So glad to hear that! Glad it helped. :) You're welcome!

[@mardelascott7936]

You rock!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thanks!

[@nanettebelanger465]

Hi, this is my first year homeschooling and this is an encouraging video. I have been trying different routines and I keep coming back to something similar to yours. Having 4 kids and, the potential for the daily outcome going in a million directions is often haunting me. Thank you!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

So glad to hear that! I hope you have a great first year!

[@weaverwagon6084]

Wonderful video! If you would like, can you make a video on Portfolios. This is the first year we are required to turn in a portfolio and it would be nice to see an example. I have a checklist for the portfolio but it would be nice to see how you do it. Thank you for this really informative video 😃

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you!! Great suggestion! Yes, I will add that to my list of future videos. I actually did a video on this 3 years ago back in the dark ages, when KZbin was still pretty new to me, haha! But I definitely need to do an update! Here's the video if you want to check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6mxnHanhKmpZ6Msi=e3YzeS1u-jzjBg2o Also, here is my blog post on How to Make a Simple Homeschool Portfolio. ourlifehomeschooling.com/2020/10/08/how-to-make-a-homeschool-portfolio/

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Do you schedule lessons, like lesson 58 in Spanish. Or do they just do the next lesson or work for a certain amount of time on each subject?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great question... I answered this in another comment, but I'll summarize here. I used to, but I don't anymore. The kids pretty much know how much they are supposed to do in each subject...and I check up on them! Here's a summary. Bible-In the front of their Bibles is a sticky note with a rotation similar to this- Day 1- 2 chapters Old Testament, Day 2-two psalms, Day 3- one chapter from New Testament, Day 4- a proverb Math-a lesson from the textbook and the corresponding workbook exercise (unless both are really long, then just one of those.) Copywork- Our copywork is divided into sections or, if not, we do 1 sentence for 1st grade, 2 for 2nd, etc. Seterra, duolingo, other online program- 10 minutes Piano lessons- whatever their teacher assigns them Language- 1 page a day, (2 for high school)

[@Rach1688]

Thank you so much Sheri! I love all your videos, they have been helpful in answering my prayers! I have a few questions for you. How do your kids accomplish all their checklist tasks, plus chores, helping make meals, being there for the read aloud, being involved in sports (etc.), and being apart of morning time? Also how do they complete their checklist or anything else on the days they have their co-op? Is your family's co-o all day or a few hours? Do they get together with friends after? When is there free time? My children are always very concerned about free time.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're welcome! I'm glad my videos have been helpful to you! Wow, great questions! I have a lot of older kids so what we do takes very little time of their day and they have a lot of free time. Depending on the ages of your kids, you might need to do less so that they will still have enough free time. (And I really think having enough free time is SO important in helping them to love learning!) When our kids were all younger, we weren't able to do as much. To answer your other questions... -Other than co-op, church, and piano lessons, our kids are involved in very few extracurricular activities until they are old enough to drive. -On co-op days, we don't do any school work at home. Co-op is their school for the day. -Our family co-op is half a day for the younger kids and a whole day for middle and high. (The younger ones play in the gym with friends until the olders are done.) -We usually have friends over after co-op and also our co-op families are pretty intentional about planning hang outs, birthday parties, swim days, play dates etc. so the kids can keep strong friendships. I hope that helps answer your questions!

[@jessicajones611]

Thanks so sharing. Could you share the post of the Ambleside Online must read books for grade 1-6 please? Their list is so vast and I have had difficulty using it for my kids. Thank you x

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're welcome! Absolutely! Here ya go! ourlifehomeschooling.com/2023/04/20/ambleside-online-homeschool-curriculum-for-a-large-family/

[@L0vejenjen]

i also have my daughter read the bible daily God is first so when we wake up we read our bible and pray

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Absolutely!

[@lillahigdon771]

😊

[@desserteyes6978]

I’m such a lazy mom with two kids how do you it? Amazing women!!! Inspiration

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I'm glad this inspired you! Thanks. Just one at a time and all by God's grace!

[@TheChan7]

This was wonderful. Thanks for sharing. Do you teach at any of the co-ops too? I’m amazed at how you juggle so much.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you! This year I am the assistant sewing teacher at our co-op, but it doesn't require prep since the main teacher has planned our projects for the year.

[@TheChan7]

@@OurLifeHomeschooling ooh. How fun. I enjoy sewing. I finally taught myself 2 years ago. I need a refresher though because it feels like it’s been a while.

[@juliequates9529]

So helpful thank you. What is your system for checking work or teaching concepts they may need help in. My student does several various workbook pages but then i struggle trying to fit in time to then correct and teach. I can do it immediately because im teaching my non independent kiddos. Thank you again

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're so welcome! I don't necessarily have a system. I try to check in with each of them every day, but it doesn't always happen. They know that I might check at any time, so that keeps them on their toes. They also know they are supposed to bring things to me when they are struggling to understand or need help. One thing that has helped me is to let my kids correct their own math. If they get any wrong, they have to either bring it to me or fix it until they can get them right. I care more about them understanding the concept than about moving on to the next thing.

[@sharonbaletka7703]

You have an Afton! I have always loved that name, so I named my daughter Afton 🥰

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Oh wow! What a neat coincidence! I loved it too! The Afton Mountain in Virginia and the Afton River in Scotland...and interestingly enough, our Afton is a born nature-lover!

[@sharonbaletka7703]

@@OurLifeHomeschooling I love that. My Afton loves nature as well.

[@YogaNurture]

Hi! Do you have your children read through one AO book at a time? Or loop through all of them the way AO schedules them? This is such a helpful video. Thank you for taking time to do these!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're very welcome! I'm glad to hear that! Yes, I have them do one AO book at a time. Here is the post for how we make AO work in our large family if that explains a little more. ourlifehomeschooling.com/2023/04/20/ambleside-online-homeschool-curriculum-for-a-large-family/

[@bestlandhomeschool]

Sheri, thank you so much for this thorough and insightful video. I have a 9th, 6th, 4th and preK and I’m still writing their assignments in planners every week. I’m tired of doing that. I’m going to make a checklist instead. Our schedule is very similar to yours. Our 21 year old daughter has severe cerebral palsy so I am on “baby mode” every single year. The need to keep things simple is top priority. Just to clarify, your middle and elementary kids are having their personal Bible time besides the scripture reading that you do during morning time? My husband works from home and we have morning time with him. He reads 1 chapter of the Bible, 1 chapter of a devotional, 1 ch of a biography and 1 Ch of The Generations curriculum proverb study. I was not having the little kids read daily scripture on top of that but I probably should to create the habit.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You're very welcome! That's exactly what happened with me. I used to write out all their assignments, but it gets exhausting. Plus, I learned that they were doing about the same amount most days, so it seemed like a waste of time to keep writing out individual assignments. Yes, I read the Bible at Morning Time (for my elementary/middle and down kids) and then they read their own for independent work. But my reading is very short. For the most part, we don't spend too much time discussing. I let the text speak for itself, so it takes little time. It sounds like you do a couple of other things in your Morning Time, so if it were me, I would just be careful to gauge that it doesn't become overbearing if you want to add in the habit of personal Bible reading. As a mom, you know best how much is enough and what is too much. Thanks for sharing your story! I love hearing from other moms!

[@abbyhock4508]

Thank you for this video! It is helpful to see such a simple layout, and again, so encouraging and motivating. I do have a question for you. In addition to the checklist, how do you actually give them their assignments? Pages read in their book, math lessons assigned so you know they are making progress, etc. Do you have another daily assignment sheet for them that gets more specific? This is always my struggle. To have a streamlined checklist but then needing to go into detail of daily assignments.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great question! I think someone else asked this too. Years ago I printed out new checklists every week for my kids with specific assignments. That got burdensome pretty quickly. Plus I realized that the page numbers changed, the but the amount of work stayed pretty much the same. At this point, the kids pretty much know how much to do for each lesson and if they aren't sure, they know to ask me. Bible-In the front of their Bibles is a sticky note with a rotation similar to this- Day 1- 2 chapters Old Testament, Day 2-two psalms, Day 3- one chapter from New Testament, Day 4- a proverb Math-a lesson from the textbook and the corresponding workbook exercise (unless both are really long, then just one of those.) Copywork- Our copywork is divided into sections or, if not, we do 1 sentence for 1st grade, 2 for 2nd, etc. Seterra, duolingo, other online program- 10 minutes Piano lessons- whatever their teacher assigns them So to answer your question, no, I no longer write out specific lessons. They know what's expected... and they know mom will check to make sure they're doing enough, ha!

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

This is such a wonderful video. I wish you could mentor me! I struggle with expecting too much. My poor ninth grader is drowning in all her work. She works all day in between helping with the kiddos, at night and weekends. I hate our workload. She's currently doing: geometry, Spanish, writing, literature, grammar, vocab, science, history, and health. She tries to play piano and violin but we often run out of time. She also runs track in the spring and cross country in the fall.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you! Aww, thank you for your kind words! Wow, that does sound like a lot! Is there a reason you feel she needs to have so much on her plate? With our oldest, I did too much. Somewhere along the way, as he got closer and closer to graduation, I started thinking, "What's his take-away going to be when he's done? Will he look back on his years of homeschooling positively? Since then, my relationship with our kids and the atmosphere in our home has become the top priority. I want our kids to love our lifestyle and to want to come back home. If you feel like you are doing too much, I wouldn't hesitate to cut things out ...and keep cutting until you have peace in your home and your kids enjoy homeschooling.

[@noemidiaz2324]

These checklists looks amazing. What an inspiration. If I may ask, what program did you use to make your checklists?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you! I just found a free google template in google docs.

[@lambertjp77]

Can you link that template?

[@Hopelb]

Do you have a method you use to track which books (AO books) which children have read and haven't read?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great question! Yes, I did a blog post on my must-read AO books. ourlifehomeschooling.com/2023/04/20/ambleside-online-homeschool-curriculum-for-a-large-family/ Usually at the beginning of the year when I'm making up the checklists, I just ask each child to remind me where they are and which books they have/haven't read so I know which ones to assign them for the next year.

[@carissabergman7696]

Very helpful :) how do you decide how much content it takes to make up a high school credit? Or is that predetermined by someone?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Definitely check out the laws in your state to see what they require. You should be able to find this on the HSLDA website or ask other homeschoolers in your area. In Pennsylvania, a credit is one of the following: 2/3 of a textbook 120 logged hours a dual enrollment college class 10 page topical paper

[@lavendersbluefarm7738]

Curious to know how long homeschooling takes you each day including bible time :) I really struggle with maintaining focus with all the little ones and getting to all the things

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

That's a great question. It's kind of hard to answer because it depends on how much help kids need and it is also different for each child. Morning Time and Afternoon Read Aloud take about 1.5-2 hours. For their independent work, each child has a certain amount based on age and capability so that varies. Bible time (in Morning Time) specifically reading and Scripture memory only takes 15 minutes.

[@danahall1282]

Do you have samples of your kids schedules and the form you print it on?

[@schugfamily4972]

Is there a way to chat with you about books?? I feel so lost as to navigating this area but am really wanting to reshape our homeschool.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You can message me on IG!

[@jennicompton3451]

Do you mind sharing the Shakespeare books you are reading?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Sure! I read from Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare amzn.to/4ceY1RV and Tales from Shakespeare amzn.to/3uWYmbb. In the fall we read Twelfth Night. Now in the spring I plan to read King Lear.

[@alisonhetue]

Just a heads up that Duolingo includes some stories that contradict a biblical worldview, particularly when it comes to God’s design of marriage 😢

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Yes...I should have thought of this and didn't remember about that, but I'm glad you mentioned it. The kids told me about this when it showed up in a few stories. It has been few and far between, but definitely a part of the content at some point. It's something to keep an eye on with the program and to have conversations with the kids.

[@sohappytogether88]

0:44 do you have a link to that shelf on the left?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

My husband made it for me and the workboxes I bought from Ikea. So sorry I can't give you a link! They have been super helpful. We've used them for years. Some homeschool dad needs to market and sell these. I think they would be a best seller!

[@MitchellsonaMission]

Just curious when you start Abeka at 9 years old what level do you start on? My girls (11&12) both have done Abeka from the start. My son (8) was a struggling reader so we held off on Abeka language this year. Ive been leaning to using BJU for him

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I start them on Abeka Language 3. I started him at 9 because he was ready, but some of my other kids weren't ready at that age. I'm know of BJU, but I'm not super familiar with their Language books. I hope you find a good fit for him! Here is the post where I talk about using Abeka for Grammar. ourlifehomeschooling.com/2022/10/17/our-large-family-homeschool-curriculum/

[@evawebb1761]

Do you have school daily? Where does co-op go please? My son is out of the house for 1.5 days a week doing farm and cooking. He is 14...I need to fit in more bookwork but seem to only fit in 3 days?

[@lambertjp77]

How much do your older highschool children participate in morning time?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great question! My 16 year old son usually stays for Scripture memory and World Watch (current events online.) Otherwise, he is free to come and go. My 15 year old daughter enjoys all of it, so she stays.

[@brooklencrone4680]

Hi! How do they know what book they are doing copywork from?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Usually when they finish one copywork, they come and ask me what to do next. I show them some options and they pick. I have some free copywork on the blog I will link below. This is what I usually use for my kids. ourlifehomeschooling.com/?s=copywork This link has free copywork from Ambleside Online and popular classic books. ourlifehomeschooling.com/2021/01/27/helpful-habits-for-writing-well-2-copying-the-best-pieces-from-great-authors/

[@cassidydavis4421]

Where is the template that is shown in this video? I didn’t find it on your website, can you please link it?

[@bestlandhomeschool]

She said in another comment that it was a free google template

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I just found a free template on google docs.